Why we know this -- with Singh absurdly accusing Milewski of racism for asking him the question -- is a case study in Canadian political correctness run amok.

Here’s what happened.

On CBC’s Power and Politics show Oct. 2, Milewski -- one of Canada’s most knowledgeable journalists on the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, our worst case of domestic terrorism -- asked the new NDP leader four times during an interview whether it was appropriate for some Canadian Sikhs to put up posters honouring Parmar “as a martyr of the Sikh nation”.

Parmar, a naturalized Canadian citizen, while never convicted of the mid-air bombing in which 329 people died, mostly Indo-Canadians, was identified by the Air India Inquiry as its leader. He was killed by Indian police in 1992.

Four times, Singh declined to answer Milewski’s question, before saying he denounced whoever was responsible for the terrorist attack that took innocent lives, which wasn’t Milewski’s question.

He asked Singh whether it was appropriate for some Canadian Sikhs to put up posters honouring Parmar.

Two weeks later, after some pundits accused Milewski of racism for asking the question, Singh himself criticized Milewski, saying the “premise” surrounding it was racist.

“It was offensive to me that that was even a question,” Singh told a press conference, as reported by Althia Raj of Huffington Post.

“I think there was definitely some sort of clear problematic line of thought behind that question, so I’m definitely concerned with it.”

But when Singh was asked at the press conference whether posters honouring Parmar by some Canadian Sikhs should be taken down -- in effect, the question Singh refused to answer from Milewski -- this time he responded: “I’m not here to tell what a community should or shouldn’t do.”

Singh didn’t accuse these reporters of racism for putting Milewski’s question to him.

The main argument Singh and his supporters made in accusing Milewski of racist intent in his question was that he wouldn’t have asked it of non-Sikh political leaders.

Milewski said he has, but if he hadn’t, so what?

A key job of any political journalist it to test whether politicians’ views on issues are consistent, or selective.

As CBC spokesman Chuck Thompson wrote in response to vice.com seeking comment on the Milewski controversy: “Mr. Milewski asked Mr. Singh about an issue that has informed Mr. Singh’s politics in the past, namely his support of grievances of the Sikh community against the Indian government. As an Ontario MPP, Mr. Singh drafted a motion that would declare the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India as an act of genocide against Sikhs. That 2016 motion was defeated, but this past spring, Mr. Singh spoke in the Ontario legislature in support of another motion -- this one successful -- that declared the 1984 anti-Sikh riots a genocide.”

Since Singh has denounced extremist violence against Sikhs, it’s fair to ask him his views about alleged violence by Sikh extremists.

As for Singh’s complaint he was targeted for the question by Milewski because he’s Sikh, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is targeted by reporters because he’s a devout Catholic, asking him whether his religious views against abortion will influence Canadian law if he becomes PM.